Sports
Highlanders in a big win
by Rajitha Ratwatte
The Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin was hosts to the NSW Waratahs with a Otago Highlanders side minus their star halfback Aaron Smith taking them on. The second minute of the game saw the ‘Landers on the board with Michael Collins dotting down under posts off a turnover obtained basically from the kick-off.
The Referee Damon Murphy got the TMO involved to check for obstruction but finally awarded the try, 7 – 0 to the hosts. Sevevn minutes into the game the ‘Tahs got a penalty 25 meters out and mid-right and Will Harrison made short work of that 7 – 3.
Three minutes later Jack Maddox ran outside the Highlanders speedster Jonah Nareki (a rare occurrence) and scored a seven pointer to take the visitors into the lead 7 – 10.
Thirteen minutes into the game Nareki earned his side a penalty by what was deemed a high tackle on him and the subsequent line out from the touch gaining kick saw Sio Tomkinson who is usually a midfielder but was playing on the wing this game, cut inside pick up a loose pass and scored mid-right for the Highlanders.
Another seven pointer taking the ‘Landers back into the lead 14 – 10. The man with the impossible name, Mark Nawaquanitawase ran through a few gaps in the Highlanders defence and got the Waratahs back into the lead with another goal 14 – 17. Grant Nesbitt the premier rugby commentator in New Zealand predicted a try fest at this stage of the game and boy was he right!
The Highlanders game plan to keep playing in Waratahs territory was working with Sio Tomkinson able to charge down a clearing kick win his side a turnover penalty and we had the magnificent sight of tight head prop Ethan De Groot charging his way over the Waratahs line to score mid-right.
The kick was not converted but the lead changed once again 19 – 17 to the hosts. The first scrum of the game was in the 20th minute and the ‘Tahs won a penalty that was kicked from 46 meters out and straight in front of the posts.
Eight minutes from half-time the Highlanders rolling maul got going and Ash Dickson their skipper and hooker benefitted, as usual, going over the line and after the referee checked for a clear grounding the try was awarded mid right.
Seven points resulted and another lead change 26 – 20. Both sides were not done yet and the Aussies strung together nine phases and finally decided to kick at goal from 22 meters out, mid-right, and shorten the lead to 26 – 23.
Almost on the half-time hooter the Highlanders Japanese number eight Kazuki Himeno made a great break and passed to Jonah Nareki who showed a clean pair of heels to score far left. Another seven points to the Highlanders with Mitch Hunt adding the extra points from a difficult angle. Half-time score 33 – 23 with 56 points being scored in 40 minutes of pulsating rugby.
Four minutes into the second-half, the ‘Tahs lost a defensive line out and the ‘Landers tight head prop De Groot got himself another try, going over the line mid-right. Mitch Hunt was in great kicking form and seven points more took the score to 40 – 23. 12 minutes into the half the ‘Tahs were denied a try by being caught out by the TMO for tackling without the ball or an early tackle on Jonah Nareki who also seemed to injure his shoulder badly. Nareki chose to continue playing and tackled ferociously and won a turnover penalty for his side. The subsequent touch finder, saw the Highlanders rolling maul activated once again and Kazuki Himeno got himself over the line. The conversion struck the left upright and the resulting five points to the score to 45 – 23.
Ten minutes from full-time, Josh Ioane playing at full-back and having a subdued game, drew two defenders and passed beautifully to Johan Nareki on the wing who switched the afterburners on and streaked his way through 20 meters to score again. Probably restoring some pride in beating his opposite number Jack Maddox who had got the better of him early in the game. Hunt converted spectacularly from a difficult angle and the fifty was up for the Highlanders 52 – 23.
A vital bonus point earned as there is little doubt now that the finalists will be from among the Kiwi teams who win with bonus points. The final try of this “try fest” came from Highlanders substitute number eight Ben Nicholas who went off the back of the scrum and scored in the old-fashioned, traditional number eight fashion to take the final tally to 59 – 23 with the Highlanders winning and securing the vital bonus point. No scoring at all from the Waratahs in the second-half concluding seven losses in 12 games played.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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